Wednesday, August 14, 2013

How to Cut Up a Watermelon

I. love. Love. LOVE. WATERMELON. I was cutting up a watermelon the other day and remembered that someone once commented to me that the way I do it seemed so fast and easy. And me, always thinking about things to put on the blog, and always seeming to do something food related, thought I could show you how I do it. If you have no interest in knowing something like this, you could read why I don't have anything else to blog about - because that might be interesting - and then skip the rest and wait for a more exciting post.

So, I didn't have anything else to blog about today, since:
a) I'm STILL working on my Cozy wrap. I'm almost done. I decided I would stop at the end of the skein I'm working on, since it is getting pretty long (57" as of last night). So hopefully there will be a good knitting post soon...
b) I haven't finished any books to tell you about. I am reading a really really good one though...
c) I haven't cooked anything exciting. Just the Kale, Quinoa and Avocado salad again. And it's yummy again.
d) Nothing exciting is happening in the garden. Things are just growing.
e) No drag racing to tell you about. AND I'm missing a drag racing event this Saturday (Buick Day at Lebanon Valley Dragway) in order to participate in the Spinning Bee at the Altamont Fair. Which leads me to....
f) I haven't been practicing my spinning for the Spinning Bee so I can't show you that.

On to WATERMELON...
I can't remember when or how I learned this method. I used to cut watermelon into triangles, then cut it off the rind and cut it into pieces. Or just leave it in triangles and eat it that way. Cutting it into pieces is better, I think, and more portable to put into a container.

First, get your watermelon into a wedge piece:

Buy it that way or cut it up that way.
Then, run your knife along the rind, all around the edges of the wedge:

I did it with a steak knife which is a little bit flexible and that helps with the curvey parts. At this point, if you did it right and if you really wanted to, you could take the whole chunk out of the rind and cut it up. But, I leave it there because it makes it easier later. (see way below...)

Then, on one side of the wedge, make 3 or 4 horizontal cuts, all the way down to the rind:

Make more cuts if you want smaller pieces.
Then, turn the wedge around and do it to the other side:

No, I didn't use two knives. I'm trying to make a point.

Next, cut into the wedge vertically, making several cuts long the length of the wedge:

See the little grid pattern happening?

That's it! Now you can pick up the whole wedge, and let all the pieces fall into a bowl. Perhaps your new antique Fire King mixing bowl.

THAT's why you leave it in the rind to cut it.

Empty rind:

Pretty clean, but you could spend a little time getting some more of the melon out if you want to. I don't have the patience.

Yummy watermelon filling my new antique Fire King mixing bowl:

The other day, by accident, I got a seeded watermelon. It was really really really hard to cut it up the way I described because there were so many seeds. At least a million. They were getting in the way of the knife. I really dislike eating seeded watermelon. Again, mostly because of my impatience. It takes 10 years to eat one piece because you have to get all the seeds out.

How about a picture of my Watermelon Slice Socks since I'm talking about watermelon and since I entered them to be judge in the Altamont fair?:

Ok, so I didn't realize I had such a terrible picture. There are black beads knitted into the pink part to represent seeds. You can click on the link up there to see the official pattern picture. If they win a prize I'll post a better picture...

Next post: Something a little more exciting. Hopefully. Don't know what yet.